Rising gas prices are not only forcing some delivery businesses to make tough choices, they’re also gouging the profits of some of the people who drive for a living.

In Downtown Sacramento, a row of taxi cabs are parked along L
Street, next to the Capitol building. Three cabbies are standing
alongside their cars waiting for the next fare. The topic of
conversation: gas.

"Everybody knows gas prices go up every day, every day."

One of the drivers is Mansoor Aghdam. He's been driving a taxi
for about three years.

"In Sacramento this business is very slow. When gas goes up,
it's not good for us."

Aghdam says high gas prices are eating into his profits because
a city ordinance prohibits taxis from imposing fuel surcharges.

"My price is fixed by the city, we cannot charge more than the
taxi meter."

While cab drivers may be restricted on how much they can charge
customers, other businesses aren't.

Patrick DeHaan is an analyst with gas price tracking website:
GasBuddy.com. He says small business owners, already hurting from a
slow economic recovery, are feeling the pinch of rising gas
prices.

"They will have no choice at some point but to pass much of
these increases on whether that's higher charge for pizza delivery
or a higher charge for flower delivery."

Jim Relles agrees. He owns Relles Florists in Sacramento and has
a fleet of seven delivery vehicles. Relles says he's trying to
figure out how to reduce costs and still provide good customer
service.

"Maybe we will deliver to certain areas only once a day. And if
the consumer wants the product delivered by a certain time there
may be a surcharge."

Analysts attribute the swift rise in gas prices to tensions in
the Middle East. They say even if things calm down in that part of
the world, California gas prices typically rise during spring in
anticipation of the summer driving season.